Black Flare
by Flaming Platinum
Summary: [04,AU.] One can only live out the path they were meant to follow. But the path he was supposed to walk on changed before he even started. This can only be referred to as 'corrupted destiny.'
1. Beginning of End

**Well, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Which is pretty sad when you think about it. But I think I'll improve over time. Which reminds me, I've been staring at this chapter for a couple of days now, and I think the transiting is not at it's best, but I don't if that's true or not. (Which, judging by myself, probably might not be true, but you never know...) But, I guess you want to read the story, so I'll be quiet.  
**

* * *

**- Beginning of End**

Do you wish to start? That's what the message said, and Takuya stupidly pressed yes.

And so here he was, running after his so-called 'destiny.' Exactly why did it involve so much running?

_Take the five forty-five train to Shibuya station. How am I supposed make it there in time? The truck driver said it was a couple of minutes 'till. This just isn't my day. _Takuya thought as he weaved his way through the crowded streets. He wanted to ask for the time, but that'll just slow him down even more.

Takuya looked up. The train station was just a few steps away, which meant that he made it. He ran towards it, hoping he could make it.

-0-0-0-

The goggle head banged his head against the ticket booth. He was so stupid. He had no money, so how could he just get a train ticket?

_If only a miracle could happen now… Huh? _Takuya looked at the red ticket in shock. How could one just magically appear? He hastily grabbed the ticket, still unsure of how it came out of machine.

He ran towards the tracks, checking the time as he did so. _One more minute, hope I can make it. _Takuya forced his legs to go faster.

_Come on, just a few more steps. _he thought as he ran up the stairs. He was so close; it would be a shame if he failed now.

-0-0-0-

Takuya panted as he watched the doors close. He barely made it, but he made it, and that's all that mattered.

He looked around the car. Many where sitting on the seats provided – actually, he, a kid with a bandana, and one with a baseball cap, who looked a lot like the one with the bandana, were the only ones who were standing. Maybe they got the message as well.

But why would multiple people have the same destiny? One's destiny should be different from another's, right? Or maybe they were just going somewhere else. Yeah, that seems right, not everyone can get a message with no sender, right?

_'This is Shibuya Station.' _The automatic voice said, disturbing Takuya's thoughts. The doors opened, and a few people left, including the look-alikes. It took Takuya a few minutes to realize that he was supposed to get off as well.

He took out his phone, thinking that it could give him more information. But no text appeared; he was on his own.

_That guy seems to know what he's doing. Wait… _He looked at the bandana kid who was heading towards the elevator. Close behind him was the kid with the cap. Apparently they all had the same destiny. _There goes my original thought. _

Takuya ran towards the elevator, hoping the kid would hold the doors. If this was the way to his destiny, he needed to get there now.

_'__Stop. This isn't your destiny.'_

Takuya froze. The voice sounded, evil in some way. He couldn't place how it sounded that way, he just, _knew. _

But what did it mean by 'this isn't your destiny?' The message on his cell phone said that this was his destiny, so why was this one counteracting what the other one said. Though, it did sound evil…

_Gah! Damn it. _Takuya thought as he saw the doors inching closer together. He frantically looked around, trying to look for solution. _I got it; I'll just take the stairs._

_'Perfect.__' _the voice said again, only this time creepier. Takuya ignored it as he ran down the stairs, trying to out run the nonexistent elevator.

-0-0-0-

He was stupid, but perfect for his plan. There were plenty options, but none fit quite like this one.

The boy possessed leader qualities and had a strong drive. If given to the other side, with no doubt they'll succeed, and that cannot be allowed. Not with the high stakes granted with failure.

But that wasn't all; actually, there were many reasons why this boy was perfect. Some not even he or the boy knows, but it made the desire to get him even stronger.

So he watched as the boy, Takuya Kanbara they said, tumble down the stairs. Pathetic, it seems.

But it isn't. If he had chosen another, they would have failed to pick themselves up. This simple fall would've knocked them out. But no, this kid was different. Slowly, he stood up, clutching his knee. Others asked him if he was alright. No reply was given.

He chuckled. The boy was perfect, not much needed to be changed. Just his forgiveness, but he can take care of that easily.

-0-0-0-

Takuya tried to hide his pain, but failed. It was bad enough that his knee felt like it was on fire, but having people continually ask him if he was alright, that seemed a bit over kill.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call someone?" one asked in a caring tone. She held her cell phone for just in case.

He nodded, clutching his knee tighter.

"But, you look like you're in pain!" another exclaimed, rushing over to him.

Takuya ignored this one, focusing on only on his knee. Strangely, the throbbing pain, the burning sensation, it felt, good. It soothed him almost, like pain was meant to help him.

He slowly removed his hand, allowing it to swing at his side. A small grin formed.

_Snap out of this! This isn't you! _

The pain came back, forcing Takuya to put his hand back to his knee. He was right, this wasn't him, and he was glad he caught himself.

"I'm going to call someone, because you seem to be in a lot of pain." the one with the cell phone declared. She started to dial a number before he could deny.

The grin he still wore faded as the pain grew. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he was in pain for some reason, no matter how much he wanted to. It was as if someone was controlling what he was doing.

Takuya closed his eyes, hoping for it to nullify the pain. It was a stupid thought, but he couldn't think of anything better to do.

-0-0-0-

It was a different from what he was used to. It was an eerie blackness that seemed to go on for miles. The strange part was it wasn't pure black. Bits of grey were thrown in there, making it seem like mist was sprayed into his eyes.

Takuya opened his eyes, but he only saw the same darkness. _What happened to the train station? _he asked himself, trying to locate anything familiar. Nothing clicked with his mind

"I would like to propose a trade." a voice said. Takuya recognized it. It was the same voice that entered into his mind, the one that he considered evil.

"What kind of trade?" he asked wearily. As he said this, he tried to find the source of the voice, but he failed.

The voice chuckled. "Not with you. But in a sense, for you." A solid black mass appeared.

Takuya stepped back, trying to get as far away as possible from this thing. He hit a wall after two steps.

"This isn't his destiny. Release him at once." another voice commanded. It was feminine, like the voice that came with his bizarre message.

"No can do, I'm afraid. I already changed it. Besides, it would be unfair if I don't get the amount of warriors I deserve."

"But he belongs to the side of the good! Don't you understand, he is needed there!"

"I know that," The black mass took a step forward. "That is why I did this."

Takuya felt something wrap around him. It felt warm. The chills he once had faded,

"But can't you see? Without him, the Digital World will be a mess!" She gripped onto Takuya tighter.

No reply came.

"Have you no heart?" she asked, her words getting sharper and sharper. She clutched Takuya even tighter. She repeated her previous statement, this time with more force.

"I think you know why I did this." The mass came closer to the duo, allowing Takuya to examine his features better. The male he's been referring to as a 'black mass' was actually a bunny sort of thing. Of course, bunnies don't sound and look so menacing. _So basically, a bunny's been fighting over me. Why, I really don't know._

"But there's still that trade I want." the bunny continued, motioning to the boy the female was clutching.

"What else do you want?" she asked, annoyed.

"Spirits. He's useless without them."

She released her grip on Takuya. "I thought you wanted someone to take the darkness you have."

"But," The bunny reached out towards Takuya, who was now free from any grips. "I can do so much more with this one." He ran his hands down the boy's face, only to get a cold stare in response. "And with each passing moment, he's ready." The ready was spoken carefully, as if it was a key to something important. It also forced the lady to blink in confusion.

"What have you done to him?" The words were rushed, spoken as if she was in a hurry. No reply was given.

"Just give me his spirit, and I'll give you one of yours." A small grin formed on Takuya's face.

-0-0-0-

"Wow, you must have hit your head pretty hard. What's all this mumbling about a 'trade for someone'?" the paramedic asked, scratching his head.

Takuya turned around to face the one who spoke. He got a stare in return.

"You know, I think I'm perfectly fine." Takuya said, trying to get rid of this awkward silence.

"You definitely hit your head pretty hard. I think someone said you flew down the stairs?" Takuya just shook his head in response.

"I think you need to –" He was interrupted by Takuya's cell phone.

He examined the message. Like the previous one, it had no sender, but the message was different. 'Walk to the tracks closest to you. Wait for a single cart.' Takuya guessed that it was from the bunny.

He looked at the paramedic. He had to get away from him to carry out his message.

"That was my mom," he started, putting on a fake smile. "I have to get her something right this moment, so…" Takuya didn't even finish the last part. Like a rocket, he ran down the rest of the stairs, awaiting his new-found destiny.

-0-0-0-

"You never agreed to give me the spirits, now have you?" Cherubimon started, putting on a smug grin.

"I thought my silence was a good enough answer." Ophanimon replied. She wasn't in a position to talk back to her captor, given the position she was in, but she had no choice. With Seraphimon off somewhere and herself captured in this light prison, only a few can save the Digital World now, and the kid Cherubimon wanted so badly was one.

"It isn't, and I thought you knew. Now, deal or no deal?" The last part wasn't as carefully planned as the other words he has spoken, but he was pressed for time; the message he sent should've reached Takuya Kanbara by now, and he should be heading towards his destination.

"I can't give the children the wrong spirits…" she mumbled, not wanting to stare at Cherubimon.

"Then I guess that's a yes."

"Yes."

-0-0-0-

Takuya stood on the platform, waiting impatiently for the single carted train he was supposed to board. The train docked at the station seemed to take forever to leave, but that can be justified by a simple measure of time.

He looked at the clock, which read five fifty. The whole ordeal must have taken five minutes, judging by the time he should've tumbled down the stairs. Which means that the whole conversation must have happened over a time span of zero minutes. But how is that possible?

Takuya's thoughts were interrupted by a weird voice, nothing of which he recognized from somewhere. He looked and realized that it was the single cart the bunny was talking about. He smirked at the color scheme; it was pure black with red eyes staring at him.

"This is a one way train. There's no turning back. Are you sure you want to board?" it asked.

Takuya simply nodded, stepping into the cart.

"Then I guess we're off." it said as it started to move. Takuya looked out the window with his now cold eyes.

_'This is your destiny now. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.'_


	2. Delete

**Don't worry, I didn't forget about this. Anyways, I'm aware of what happened. This was intentional. Though, next chapter is going to be different, same for the ones after that. Now, on to this chapter!**

* * *

**-Delete**

_Hey, you're oddly quiet. Why don't you talk to yourself or something?_

_ I already am._

_ Huh? Oh, yeah, right…so…_

_ Goodbye._

_ Wha-?_

_ This part of you, it's too pure. Now, goodbye forever._

_ How-?_

"Goodbye, old self." Takuya said emotionlessly, his lips barely moving. He knew he wouldn't miss it; after all, there is no place for it where he's going.

He fixed his view from the floor to the window. They were still inside the station; but light was shining through. _So I'm almost there then._

-0-0-0-

Kouichi looked around the station, trying to understand what was going on. The Trailmon that brought him and his new-found group was long gone; the ones that passed by never bothered to stop. But, at least the first one gave them some kind of information. Apparently, they were in the Digital World, a place where Digimon reside. Yet, it still didn't make sense to him at all. Why would a normal train take him and others to the Digital World instead of some place in the real world?

He looked at Zoe who was keeping an eye on little Tommy. "Uh, so, how are you coping?"

She giggled a bit before answering. "Fine, thanks for asking. But I wish I could say the same for JP and Tommy." She motioned to the two boys that where standing near the tracks. Kouichi sighed. They were like this ever since they arrived to this world, waiting for a Trailmon to take them home. But the one they were waiting for never showed up. And with each passing moment, it seemed like that Trailmon would never come.

Though, with their eyes glued to the train tracks, it almost amused Kouichi that they didn't notice that black Trailmon. _Almost_.

The Trailmon sent shivers down Kouichi's spine. The color scheme was eerie, pitch black with a bit of red, close to the color of blood. Though, the oddest thing was that there was a kid staring mindlessly out the window.

"Kouichi, is something wrong?" Zoe asked, concerned.

"Nothing," he answered, looking at the tracks instead of her. _Am I the only one who saw this?_

-0-0-0-

Takuya could've sworn he saw a kid stare directly at the Trailmon he was on. But didn't Cherubimon say that this one would be concealed from outside viewers? Yet, it was only one person, not the whole group that he was with, and one person can't do much, right?

Instead of fussing over that kid, Takuya decided to focus his thoughts on the scenery outside. It was pretty, the greenery was lush and the sky was a pretty blue. But that would end soon; he or someone else will just destroy it soon, if his assumptions were right.

He took out his phone – which had turned into some kind device that was mostly black with some red on the outside – to view a previous message as a reference. He was sure that Cherubimon told him that no one could view him until he was 'ready', so why did that one stare at him? He couldn't have anything to do with this, right?

-0-0-0-

Seeing the 'little hideout' he was supposed to live at until his work was done surprised Takuya tremendously. Both the words 'little' and 'hideout' didn't begin to explain what it looked like.

The place was pretty big. It looked like a big hill with a few holes, possibly for entrances and exits.

The confidence that Takuya once had disappeared when he saw the place. It made him seem powerless, even if Cherubimon told him he is pretty powerful, well, enough to fight off the enemy.

The Trailmon lurched to a stop. "Last stop. No turning back, kid," the Trailmon said as it opened its doors.

Takuya got off with haste. He was still unsure if this was a good idea, but the idea of staying in a world he had no idea about was a worst idea. Besides, he could always quit, right?

_Where's that confidence you had before?_

Takuya froze. He was right; before he actually arrived here, he was sure that he'll do a great job, but he wasn't so sure now.

"I'll probably regain it when I enter." _Like that'll happen. _He let out a sigh. Once again, he was right; he couldn't help but want that part to take over. But, sadly, the fear didn't seem to budge from its spot.

Takuya noticed how close he was to the 'hideout', and drew a breath. He started to walk a bit quicker than he was before.

-0-0-0-

"Are ya kidding me? This is the warrior that's supposed help us?" an aquatic looking creature said, lifting its arms up in agony.

"Now now," the mirror-like one started, "let's give thee… weakling a fair chance."

"Me think we shouldn't." the troll-ish one said.

"But he could be a wonderful distraction." the one closely resembling wood said.

"Distraction?" Takuya asked in shock, a forceful tone in his voice. _Well, you succeeded in allowing me to take over, a bit._

"Well, you're a mere human. How do you expect to do anything of use?" the one who 'greeted' him last responded.

"Well then, I want nothing to do with you guys!" _That went well, in your stupid fantasy. _

All of them yelled out their own sort of goodbye as Takuya walked over towards the side of the 'hideout' overlooking whatever there was to overlook.

-0-0-0-

Takuya fumbled with his device, trying to understand what the purpose of it was. He knows he can use it to receive messages, but why else would he use it? Besides, if he wanted to receive messages, couldn't he just keep his phone?

_You totally annoyed them. So, if this whole 'bad guy' reputation doesn't work, I guess you can be that annoying guy._

He lied down, still fiddling with his device. His other self was doing what it did best – mocking the weaker version – and it wasn't really helping.

_Maybe I should try – huh? _A vibration was felt.

_'A Trailmon is waiting for you. It'll lead you to your destiny.' _The message read.

Takuya sighed. Another Trailmon, maybe another run in with that mysterious kid. But still, maybe this would make him look like more than a distraction to the others.

-0-0-0-

It was easy to escape from the group; the hard part was to figure out what Trailmon sent.

The one waiting was a blue one, though the on Takuya was expecting was the black Trailmon, the one that took him here.

"Well, are you going to get on?" it asked, its tone a bit frightened.

"Yeah, I guess." he responded as he climbed on.

"Alrighty then, off we go!" it yelled, trying to shake off the frighten tone.

-0-0-0-

The blue Trailmon, which had told him it was Angler, dropped him off at the only station he passed by, and he left just like that. Not even a word of goodbye, even though he was quite a talker.

Takuya took out his device, which went haywire, beeping nonstop. Annoyed, but a bit amused by the constant beeping, Takuya waved it around, almost like he was playing a game of hot and cold.

The beeping got gradually louder as he pointed it towards the train tracks. Guessing that he was getting 'hotter' with the train tracks, Takuya followed them, wincing as the beeping noise got increasingly louder.

He scratched his head in confusion. The device was still beeping, but there were no more tracks.

"Okay, this has got to be the worst game of hot and cold ever. I can't even follow the damn clue!" Takuya yelled to no one in particular. A few creatures appeared; they were confused as to what was going on, but they disappeared as quickly as they came.

He waved his device around, making sure that he was following the right trail. But the beeping was the loudest at the tracks, no matter what he did.

-0-0-0-

"Tommy!" Kouichi yelled with his fist clenched. There was no way he could save him, not without some sort of protection. Both Bokomon and Neemon were Digimon, so they should be able to fight back, but they told everyone that they couldn't fight even if they wanted to.

Sighing at the incompetence of his Digimon partners, Kouichi looked up from the train tracks where he, Tommy, Bokomon, and Neemon fell down from, hoping that he could locate Zoe anywhere. Instead, he saw a boy fiddling with what looked like a D-Tector, though he really couldn't tell from this angle. And he looked vaguely familiar…

_Argh, focus! The youngest of group is in trouble and you can't help him. This isn't the time to pinpoint where you've seen random boys!_

But that part about being unable to help, that's the part that hurt. The poor boy was being chased around by a Digimon closely resembling a dog of some sort, and Kouichi couldn't do anything. At least, not something that could get rid of the threat once and for all.

He picked up a stone and rushed towards where Tommy was. It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do.

"Now, don't go hurt yourself." Kouichi heard Bokomon call out.

"And don't forget to wash the grapes!" Neemon called out.

He started to laugh. "I won't. Now…" Kouichi focused on the dog like Digimon, trying to figure out where he could hit it without hurting Tommy, or getting in the line of fire. Finding the area near the rear, he launched the stone.

The Digimon felt the stone. Finding the little boy nothing but an appetizer, it focused on the thrower.

Kouichi noticed this and took a pause of shock before running towards safety. Close behind him was the Digimon, firing its Emerald Fire.

He tried to avoid the attack, while saving both Bokomon and Neemon, but the run-ins were a bit too close; a tiny part of Kouichi's pant leg burned.

"I don't think you're going to make it safely," Bokomon pointed out rather absurdly. "Miracles don't happen all too often around here."

"But maybe we can make a miracle."

-0-0-0-

Takuya finally figured out where he was supposed to go, which was underneath the tracks. He scaled the wall easily although the problem was to avoid whatever mess was going on over to his left. But it seemed impossible to do so, with the whole beeping problem.

He waved the device left then right to see in which direction he would have to go next. Luckily, he was able to avoid the mess over to his left.

The beeping noise got increasingly louder with each step he took, signifying he was heading in the right direction. Thankful for no false dead ends, Takuya decided to loosen up a bit, treating this as a game instead of destiny (though, finding his destiny was a bit like a game, therefore, one can argue that he was already relaxed).

The beeping noise was at its loudest as Takuya neared a portal-like thing. However, as he took one step closer, the beeping died out, and in its place was a message.

_'Congratulations, you found part of your destiny. Step inside, and most will be clear.'_

_And most will be clear? What does he mean by most? _

Looking at his device once more, he stepped instead the portal-like thing, expecting to be transported somewhere.

The light surrounding him felt warm, almost like fire. Yet it was blinding, and all he could make out was a bit of red.

"Together we'll handle this world." a voice said. Takuya assumed it was his device, but the voice was completely different, yet similar. It almost sounded like himself.

Subconsciously, Takuya took a few steps forward, meeting the voice halfway.

The light no longer felt warm, instead it was painful. He shut his eyes, expecting to see some sort of darkness, yet the blinding light remained.

Takuya heard himself scream; yet, it was hard to tell if it was him or the voice. But it could've been both: the cry of a warrior.

When he finally opened his eyes, Takuya noticed black ooze escaping from him. It never seemed to hit the floor though, and seemed more like an aura of black.

A pain was felt through his head; the darkness that had escaped out of him before came back and resided in his head.

The black aura disappeared and in its place, a fiery one appeared. It felt warm, and all the pain he had experience disappeared.

The light disappeared into the sky and left Takuya, who resembled the creatures here instead of a human.

_'Welcome, Agunimon.' _But Agunimon didn't focus on the message sent. It was the sky the caught his attention.

The blinding light that had left him shot high in the sky, meeting up with a black light. The lights combined and created a greyish light, heading towards the center of the rubble.

He heard a cry of a name – Lowemon – and saw a dark ball launched. The rest was covered by the dust.


End file.
